Skeleton's Don't Always Stay In The Closet
by girlinpink44
Summary: Sydney told Lassie that she had left some things in DC and she wanted them to stay there. But things don't always stay where we want them to and they are about to crash back into her life. Can Shawn handle when his daughter's skeleton's come out of the closet? Sequel to "Like It Or Not, The Past Won't Stay There."
1. The Road So Far

**Author's Note: Hello again, Psychos and welcome to the sequel to "Like It Or Not, The Past Won't Stay There."**

 **Sorry it took me so long to post the sequel. With NaNoWriMo, working retail at Christmastime, and a few other things, my time to work on this was severely limited. But I'm really excited about it and can't wait to take this journey with you.**

 **Also, I'm in the middle of a Psych rewatch and wanted to share it with you.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Psych. Though I would love a chance to talk mysteries with Steve Franks and the gang.**

"Are you sure about this?"

"As sure as I'm ever going to be."

"Sydney, it's not too late to come back."

"It was too late the day Mom died."

"That wasn't your fault."

"Wasn't it?"

"You couldn't have stopped that."

Sydney pounded a fist on the steering wheel. "I could and should have."

Silence filled the car for a moment as both seemed to be lost in their thoughts. "Will you ever come back?"

"Not like before." Sydney ran a hand through her hair. "I can't. I need to do this Alex. I need to meet him, need to figure things out, need to figure out who I am because who I thought I was isn't enough anymore."

"You sound older than you are."

"I have for a long time."

"I'm sensing you're here to find something, or rather someone."

"Three for three, not bad." She smiled at him, and once again, it was oh so familiar.

"Sydney, where did your name come from?"

"My mom told me that my dad once said that if he had a daughter he would name her Sydney because…"

"It's somewhere he wants to go." Jules' voice came from the doorway and she was staring at Sydney in shock.

"Sydney," He was sure but he had to be absolutely sure. "Have you ever met your father?"

"Not before today." Her response was quiet and while Shawn couldn't be sure, he wondered if he was the only one who heard it.

"When's your birthday?"

"Yesterday."

"And were you on time?"

"I was a few weeks early."

"Please tell me you and Becca did not have sex in the back of a stolen car."

"Well, if that would make you feel better…" Shawn took a step back as he felt his father's gaze harden.

"I cannot believe you were that stupid."

"I think we established long ago that I was pretty stupid back then."

Taking off for the car, he ducked under the tape and saw that Sydney's bag was sitting on the floor of the passenger seat. He dug in the bag but stopped when he spotted her phone on the floor. It lit up, a new text coming from someone named Alex.

 **I thought you were taking a break from that kind of thing?**

What kind of thing?

"Getting extra credit in my Criminal Justice 110 class." Sydney waved from where she sat.

"Bad day for extra credit."

Sydney looked around. "Seems like it."

"I didn't get a name."

"I didn't give it."

Wignall looked at Lassiter. "She's got more spunk that that obnoxious psychic. Better get comfortable detective, you're going to be here awhile until we figure out what to do with you and the meddling kid."

"Really, a Scooby Doo reference?"

The door shut leaving the pair alone. Lassiter turned to Sydney. "What is with you, kid?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You know things you shouldn't, act like you're more comfortable in a hostage situation, crime scene, or a station, then I've seen some seasoned cops act, and you just lied like a pro."

Sydney looked away. "Those are my secrets to keep."

"What could explain that?"

"A lot could, Detective, but I left that behind me in DC and at least for a bit, I'd like it to stay there." Once again, she sounded older than her age suggested.

"By the way, Chief, who's the fed?"

"How did you know I was a fed?" The fed smiled.

"Psychic, besides, you can usually see your type a mile away."

"Agent Alex Taylor, CIA. I worked the Crimmons case with my former partner."

"Former?"

"She retired a few months ago. When I heard he escaped I flew out here to offer my assistance and expertise."

Before Shawn could respond, Chief Vick caught his attention. "Mr. Spencer, can I see you in my office for a moment?"

Shawn sighed and nodded, getting one last reassuring glance from Jules and Gus before heading into the office.

"Alright, we have a pic of the white van and the truck from the nearby traffic cam. The plates are being run as we speak. In the meantime, we still have the homicide from the coffee shop and convicts to recapture. Let's get to work!"

Shawn took a seat in one of the chairs in front of her desk and heard her come in and shut the door. "You just found out?"

"Yesterday, between the fights and the briefing."

"Are you sure?" She made her way behind the desk and took a seat.

"I'm sure. Lassie had Woody run a paternity test. We should have the results next week. But she's…"

"She's like you?"

"You're asking me if…"

"I'm asking you if she's psychic." She leaned forward and looked him right in the eyes.

"Can't say for sure, but it looks that way." He sighed leaned back in the chair. "Can I be honest?"

"I'd appreciate it."

"She's so much like me, it scares me. Yet at the same time, I can't help but be proud."

Chief Vick smiled as she leaned back. "So I'm going to have a junior psychic running around my station?"

"If she wants to." Shawn couldn't help but smile.

"She's too young to have already lost her mother." The chief murmured.

"She really is."

"Let me know if you divine any leads. We both would like this wrapped up as soon as possible."

"You know that's right Chief." Shawn stood up to leave.

"Oh, and Shawn?"

"Yeah Chief?"

"I've seen you figure out unsolvable cases. You'll figure out this whole father thing."

Pulling her blanket close, Sydney stared at the fire. "Lassie, remember how you asked me a question that day in the cabin. You asked what could explain some of what I did? Could explain Crimmons?"

It took a lot of self control - something Lassiter was surprised he still had - for him not to show his interest. But he held a neutral position. "And then what you said later, I didn't press it."

"Right." She took the jerky he handed her. Lassiter didn't want to admit that he was starting to get scared about if they would get found in time. Both knew, even if they wouldn't admit it, that if Sydney didn't get medical help soon, there would be some serious consequences.

"What about it?"

He heard a sigh come from her general direction. "Shawn's gifted and I inherited a lot of his gifts."

"So I've heard."

Actually, Lassiter wondered if Shawn met have finally not only met his match but someone who could surpass him. The expression like father like daughter might apply here, but there was an edge to Sydney that might give her the upper hand at times.

"Mom knew, she figured some of it was from him so she tried to find me opportunities to be able to use them in a constructive way instead of doing something stupid with them."

"Like stealing a car to impress a girl."

"Exactly." She let out a sigh. "One thing she wanted me to be able to do was defend myself so she enrolled me in one of the junior martial arts classes. I was like three when I started and by the time I was five, I was further along then some of the kids twice my age. Add to that, I was possibly going to only do a week of kindergarten and possible skip to second grade and mom had a prodigy on her hands."

Lassiter wasn't sure what this had to do with it, but he couldn't help but note that he probably knew more about Sydney than Shawn did. "Okay."

"And in DC, as well as around it, prodigies don't go long without being noticed. And I was and Mom was approached by a man who said he could use a girl with skill like mine."

She paused. "I met Crimmons about five years ago in Italy. I was there to help keep someone important safe and I'm not ashamed to say that I played him like a fiddle and the funny thing is that he doesn't realize that that is what I did. The whole time, he thought that we had a teacher pupil relationship when he didn't realize how was in charge."

"Who were you protecting? Why were you protecting anyone?"

"I can't tell you who, that's classified." She shrugged. "In fact, the only reason I'm telling you any of this is if something happens to me, and don't say nothing's going to happen cause we both know that this is serious and that if we don't get me help soon it could get worse, but Shawn need to know. Because things are going to happen that he won't understand and…"

"I need him to understand that it might not make sense to him why Mom agreed to let me give it a try, but I need him to not blame her. She did what she thought was best for me and I'm glad that she did. I wouldn't be who I am today if she hadn't made that decision."

"What decision?"

"Lassiter, I'm about to tell you information that is considered classified. There is a clause that allows me to tell you in case of emergencies like this. But you are not to divulge this information without my permission or discuss it with anyone else unless they give you the code word."

"And that is?" He was officially curious now.

"Sagittarius." She shifted her position a bit, wincing in pain. "This story really starts in 2002, a few months after I had turned five. By then, I was already reading on a fourth grade reading level and had my green belt which was unheard of for someone my age. And if I'm too out of it when help arrives, there's a piece of paper on the inside of my jacket with a number. Call it and tell them to send my medical records wherever. Ask for Alex."

"Alex." Lassiter nodded.

"So, 2002 was the year a lot would happen in the wake of one of the most devastating events in history. Like I said, someone sought Mom out because of the promise they saw in me. And when they told Mom she at first thought it was crazy. But I want to defend her, before I go too much further."

Sydney shifted again and winced. "She did what she thought was best for me. She was still in school, working a day job, taking online classes and raising me. She wanted what every parent wants, to give me my best chance. And she did. So here's what you tell Shawn…"

 _Federal Prison - Alexandria Virginia - Present Day_

Jimmy Frazier stared at the wall of monitors as the flipped from face to face every few seconds. Death Row prisoners seemed to fascinate people thanks to shows such as CSI. Why people would bother to be fascinated with these twisted individuals was beyond Jimmy.

To Jimmy, it was all he could handle not to request an immediate transfer. But here he sat, day after day, getting ready to make his evening rounds and walk past some really sick minds. And these weren't the run of the mill killers either. These were the ones that demanded special treatment and had had federal agents assigned to their cases.

Grabbing his keys and his assess card, Jimmy left the quiet of his office and made his way through the cell block, making sure everything was locked up tight for yet another night.

His footsteps echoed as he made his way, ignoring the comments the prisoners made. As he passed a cell, he stopped, backed up a few steps and looked in. To his horror, the cell was empty. And this wasn't just any killer. He had just been convicted of 12 counts of murder in the first degree.

And what he did to that girl's mother.

Running to the end of the hall, he pushed a button. Instantly, lights flashed and an alarm went off. Rushing back to his office he checked the feed. According to his screen, the prisoner was still there.

What was going on?

 **AN2: Thanks for reading! See you next time as we really get into the story.**


	2. How's Mom?

**Author's Note: Back again! I'm excited to play with Sydney again and I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

Shawn Spencer sat at his desk sipping on a smoothie that he'd grabbed on his way into the Psych office. He turned to look at the clear evidence board and stared at the pictures that the SBPD had sent over. A John Doe, murdered quite violently with several stab wounds present on the body.

What bugged Shawn was that this didn't seem like the guy's first murder. But, if Shawn was right the question became, where are the other bodies?

The office seemed quiet. Gus was on his route and Sydney was on her way back from Virginia. She'd gone to close on her mother's house, see some friends, and take care of some things. Hard to believe it had been almost seven months since she'd walked into his life. But it had been and if you had told him a year ago that he'd be missing a kid like this, he would have laughed.

"Did you miss me?"

Shawn looked up to see the object of his thoughts standing in the doorway, a smile on her face and a couple bags in one hand and a smoothie cup in the other.

"When did you get here?" Shawn jumped out of his chair and rushed over to give her a hug. She returned it and Shawn took a step back and noticed that she was a lot more relaxed than she had been when she'd left.

"About an hour ago. But Gramps decided that I needed to eat again when we got back to Santa Barbara. Even though we grabbed lunch with Sarah and her husband in Los Angeles." Sydney sat her bags down on the coffee table and grabbed something out of one. "I got you a present!"

She handed him a t-shirt. "The only shirt I could find that had both Washington DC and a pineapple on it."

He held it up and couldn't help but laugh. "I love it."

"Did I miss anything fun while I was gone?"

Before Shawn could answer, Gus walked in with his sample case behind him. "When did you get back, Sydney?"

"Just now. I got you something." She dug into the bag again and pulled out what looked like a really thick magazine. "A friend of mine thought you might appreciate this."

Gus looked at it. "Are you serious?"

Sydney nodded. "Yup."

Grabbing the magazine, Gus plopped down into his chair and began flipping through it. "Oh, my boss is going to be jealous."

"It's just a magazine, he can go get his own copy." Shawn didn't understand what the fuss was about.

"Wrong. It's a medical journal that isn't coming out for a few more months. I just gave Gus a leg up on his co-workers. So, what did I miss?"

"A case." Shawn nodded to the evidence board. "A John Doe was found on the beach yesterday. Looks like he was a jogger who was taking a morning run. The thing is, I'm pretty sure this isn't his first murder which means there might be more bodies to find."

Sydney walked over to the board and Shawn noticed that the stress was back in her shoulders. Actually, she seemed more tense than he'd ever seen her.

"That's not possible."

Her statement was so quiet that Shawn almost missed it. "What's not possible?"

"That's not possible."

"Sydney, what's wrong?" Shawn put a hand on her shoulder. She shook her head and turned and Shawn could see several emotions cross her face as she went over to her phone and began to frantically text someone.

"Has Woody completed his autopsy yet?" She finally asked.

Shawn looked over at Gus who was also studying the young girl. Both exchanged a look before Shawn turned to Sydney. "Yeah, we were getting ready to head over."

She smiled, but Shawn noticed that it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Good, I have presents for Lassie and Jules."

Shawn found himself down in the morgue standing around a table. The body remained covered as they were waiting on Woody to come in. Sydney stood between him and Gus and Shawn couldn't help but notice that he wasn't the only one shooting her worried looks. Since they'd gotten down there, she'd alternated between pacing the room and rocking back and forth on her heels. Even Lassie, who would normally be telling her to cut it out, was worried.

"Everything okay, Sydney?" Lassie asked, eyeing her with concern.

"Peachy."

"Have a fun trip?" Jules tried to get the girl to talk.

"Yup."

She hadn't been very talkative since she saw the board. The whole way to the station she'd just stared out the back window of the Blueberry and really gave off the vibe that she didn't want to talk. Shawn didn't want to press, but he wanted to know what was going on and why this case was making her act this way.

Sydney's phone pinged and she looked down at it. Her brow furrowed and she texted back to whoever her mystery person was.

"Shawn, don't forget we have a meeting with the caterer on Friday. We really need to start nailing down some details." Jules smiled at him.

"Because one can't find enough ways to cook chicken. I say serve jerk chicken and call it a day."

She gave him the look he'd grown familiar with as he quickly learned that she didn't appreciate these smart remarks. "I want everything to be perfect."

"And it will be. We've got two and a half months to figure it all out. You've got a dress, your bridesmaid's dresses are picked out. We've got a venue for both the ceremony and the reception. The rest will fall into place."

"If you two are working your way towards a public display of affection in the middle of an autopsy…" Lassiter glared at Shawn.

"Relax Lassie." Shawn laughed as Woody finally joined them. "Woodman! What's up?"

"My stock in Dole. Pineapple sales are up."

"What did I tell you?" Shawn brought his finger to his forehead.

"Woody, what can you tell us about our John Doe." Sydney went uncharacteristically straight to business.

Every adult in the room gave her a look and Woody looked at Shawn who could do little more than shrug before he looked down at his notes.

"It took some work to figure out the exact cause of death. There are a lot of stab wounds and in my report you'll see my idea of what the knives-"

"Knives?" Lassie interrupted him.

"It's a set of at least four." Woody nodded.

"Do you have an extra set of gloves handy, Woody?"

Nodding, he nodded to where he kept them and Sydney grabbed a pair before stepping up to the body. Shawn watched examined a couple of wounds with practiced ease before she turned the body slightly to be able to see one of the shoulder blades before letting out a hiss. Coming up behind her, he saw a message carved into the victims back.

 _SC,_

 _How's Mom?"_

 _LWK_

"Woody, what's with the shoulder?" Shawn turned to Sydney who was shaking. At first Shawn had thought it was out of fear but then he got a good look at her face and quickly discovered that it was out of anger. In fact, it seemed to be rolling off of her.

Woody shrugged. "Best I can figure is it's a message. It's part of the set."

"Do we have a cause of death?"

"It's a mix. Our John Doe would have bled out but also, there's a faint trace of poison that I doubt Woody has ever seen before. Dad, Lassie, come with me." Sydney headed for the door of the morgue. "Now."

Shawn turned to Lassie who was looking between him and Sydney confused.

"Sagittarius. Now come on, Detective." Sydney stormed out of the morgue and a second later they all heard her yelling in French.

Whoever she was yelling at, Shawn was glad that it wasn't him. Who knew she spoke French? But from the echoing coming down the hallway, she was quite fluent in it. And Shawn had never heard her yell like that and he wondered what this John Doe had done to get her this upset.

And why did he have Sydney's initials on his shoulder?

How's Mom? What did this John Doe have to do with Becca?

"Follow me, Spencer." Lassiter went out the doors. "Ohara and Guster, hang tight here and get the rest of Woody's report."

For some reason, Shawn found himself in the passenger seat of Lassie's car as they made their way to grab something Sydney needed. Checking in the rearview mirror, Shawn could see that Sydney had taken to staring out the window and not encouraging any conversation.

"Do you have any idea what's going on?" Shawn turned to Lassie.

"I have a few theories. None of them good." Lassie turned onto Shawn's father's street and pulled up to the house. To Shawn's surprise, Alex Taylor was standing on the front porch and made his way to the car as it came to a stop. Sydney's door opened and she rushed into Alex's arms and the pair just stood there for a second before Sydney launched back into French. Alex answered her back in the same language and the pair made their way up to the house talking a mile a minute. When they were on the front porch. Alex picked up a box and handed it to Sydney.

Solemnly, she opened it and pulled out what looked like a wallet which she briefly opened before sticking it in her pocket. Then she pulled out a gun which Shawn heard her load before sticking in the waistband of her shorts. "Hurry up guys. We don't have a lot of time."

"Does anyone want to tell me what's going on?"

"Shouldn't you know, Psychic?" Lassie gave him a look.

"Psychics can't read other psychics." Sydney answered for him as they made their way into the living room. "And no, he doesn't know. How could he?"

"I thought you were going to tell him?" Lassie pushed past Shawn and joined Sydney and Alex.

"I said you couldn't tell him. I didn't say a thing about telling him. And I was, eventually. But now…"

"What's going on?" His father had been siting on the couch but stood when the room suddenly filled with people.

"Grabbing some things before heading back to the police station. Actually, Gramps get ready you're coming with us. Dad, come with me. Alex, make sure everything is in order and Lassie call the Chief and tell her to have everyone assembled for a briefing in an hour. Tell her she'll be receiving a file that needs to be copied and passed around."

"Do I tell her about…"

"No." Sydney took off up the stairs two at a time. "Hurry up, Dad."

Still confused, Shawn made his way up to Sydney's room and found her door shut. He knocked. "Just a second."

It was too long before she opened it and Shawn saw that she had exchanged her shorts for a pair of cargo pants and a tank top. As she turned to go back into her room, Shawn saw the gun sticking out of her pants.

"Sydney, what's going on, why do you have a gun? And why is Alex here, and why were your initials on the body?"

"You picked up on that. Wasn't sure you'd make the connection." Sydney opened a jewelry box on the top of her dresser but instead of jewelry, there was a keypad. She entered a code and Shawn heard a click in Sydney's closet.

"Of course I made the connection. I'm not good at my job out of pure luck."

"Trust me, I know all about why you're good at your job." Sydney tossed something his way and Shawn caught it only to discover that it was a kevlar vest. "Put that on and don't take it off until I tell you too."

"Why?"

"Just do it!" Sydney sat down on her bed with a sigh and pulled the wallet Alex had handed her earlier out of a pocket. "Do you have any idea how many people show up to a presidential inauguration?"

"What?" The question came out of no where.

"At least two million for a first inauguration and usually around half if they are re-elected. Granted, the more popular the president, the larger the crowd he will draw. And it's not just the Secret Service running security like everyone thinks. All the agencies get in on it."

"What does this have to do with what's going on?"

"And a kid who seems like a prodigy is going to be noticed in this day and age. A girl with a photographic and tonal memory, who had a knack for martial arts and deductive reasoning. She's going to get noticed real quick." Sydney turned the wallet in her hands.

"This is what you've been hiding. What you ran away from in DC." Shawn sat down on the bed beside her.

"I just wanted to be normal for once. Just be myself and not let any labels from my past follow me. I just wanted to get to know you without having to deal with my past and maybe figure out who I was. No one knew me here so it was a fresh start."

"Sydney." Shawn put his arm around his daughter. "Sydney you have to talk to me, what's going on?"

She opened the wallet and Shawn saw a FBI badge cutting across from a card with her name and badge number. "Before I left DC I was Special Agent Sydney Collins of the Federal Bureau of Investigation."

 **AN: Yeah, I know, Sydney didn't waste any time. Thanks for reading!**


End file.
